Melbourne Tigers move closer to NBL play-offs berth

Roy Ward

Almost two years of transformation is starting to bear fruit for the Melbourne Tigers and should they beat the Cairns Taipans on Sunday, the team will take a major step towards what it wants most: a return to the NBL finals.

The Tigers have won five straight and will go into the home clash with the Taipans at the State Netball and Hockey Centre looking for a third win in six days and the all-important season series over the Taipans.

After four straight seasons without a post-season appearance, the Tigers and coach Chris Anstey have remained under pressure to make the top four in the tight eight-team NBL. A win for the third-placed Tigers (9-6, win-loss) wouldn't lock in a finals spot, but would hand them a major advantage over the fourth-placed Taipans (6-8) and the struggling, fifth-placed Sydney Kings (5-8).

During Anstey's 1½ seasons in charge, the Tigers have aimed to keep a focus on the task at hand. This game is no different with the undermanned Taipans coming off impressive wins over top team Perth Wildcats on New Year's Eve and the Kings in Sydney on Friday night.

The Taipans travel to Melbourne without power forward Cam Tragardh, a former Tigers captain and dangerous scorer.

But Anstey was blunt about Tragardh's absence.

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''They are a man down but beat Sydney in Sydney without him,'' Anstey said. ''Cam is obviously a very prolific scorer but Cairns is better defensively with him out.

''They defend much tougher and we will see a lot of zones and presses from them. They are one of those well-organised teams, similar to Wollongong, who are very structured and can pick you apart.

''We will have to execute and push the ball in transition - we have to force them away from what they want to do and make them play one-on-one basketball.''

The Tigers are in the middle of their toughest stretch of the season with this match being their fourth game since December 27 and it won't get any easier with reigning champion New Zealand, Sydney and Perth to come this month.

The Tigers' gruelling schedule has raised concerns about whether they have enough stamina to take down the Taipans, but both sides have played on the same days this week.

Anstey also managed to reduce star forward Mark Worthington's minutes in the Tigers' 95-77 win over Townsville in Townsville on Friday night with the London Olympian logging 32 minutes after playing the whole game in the two previous matches, including the Tigers' double-overtime win over the Hawks on New Year's Eve.

Anstey said he had faith in his players to recover and be ready to go the distance after flying home from Townsville on Saturday.

''They are pros and I see it as a matter of trust within the group with everyone doing what's best to get themselves ready,'' Anstey said.

The win over Townsville was highlighted by a memorable shooting performance from the Tigers who made 18 of 29 three-pointers with their tally of triples equalling the second-highest in NBL history.

While Anstey called their achievement ''extraordinary'', he knows good form can disappear just as quickly as it arrives.

''We are getting there but it's not a perfect science,'' Anstey said.

''When it comes to opportunity in pro sport it can be a case of 'blink and you miss it'.''